“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25. What this verse is telling us first and foremost, is that husbands are to love their wives. That little word love means a lot of things in this passage of scripture. It means that we as husbands are to give of ourselves, everything we have to ensure that our wives are comfortable and happy, having everything that they need and require to live satisfying lives. It means that we are supposed to have compassion towards our wives and deal tenderly with them, their emotions and their needs. It means that if it comes down to it, we are even to give our lives for their safety and protection, even as Christ gave his life as a ransom for us. If husbands are living their lives according to that commandment, it make it easy for wives to willingly submit to their husbands as the authority and head of the household.

Ephesians goes on to say, “Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”